I have been a Realtor in the sunny Okanagan Valley for over 5 years now. I am not a new agent and my years of experience along with the over 20 million dollars worth of Real Estate transactions that I have presided over have taught me well. I am a laid back guy and I value interpersonal relationships and experiences above all. I look forward to meeting you:-)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

to see more pictures and get more info please visit www.florko.ca - This 4 bedroom 3 bathroom home sits high on .61 of an acre in prestigious Lakeview Heights. With fantastic views of Lake Okanagan and the surrounding mountains you will enjoy sipping wine on the deck or relaxing by the pool. The kitchen has been recently updated with a full stainless steel appliance package. The roof, furnace, AC unit, and heat pump are all new as of 2006. Enjoy living the Okanagan lifestyle The huge lot could have some subdividing potential once the sewer has been run (please check with city hall if this is of importance to you).

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

...you know those days that make you wanna freak? Me too... Side note... book ends although similar and complementary to each other are always divided by whatever people shove between them. There sole purpose is to handle the weight of other things...should they ever touch there very nature and function is negated...likewise if the amount of weight between is more then they can handle. They can never lean on each other. I think I would rather be a paperweight. Sent on the go from my iPad Trever Florko

Friday, September 10, 2010

Thanks you for being so easy to work with. Your knowledge of the Kelowna area and real estate market sure came in handy while we were shopping for a new home not to mention all your advice! You let us know when we may have been making mistakes and kept us on track to find…in the end the perfect home! We are very excited to move in and swim in the new pool! Isn’t it funny in the end that we found such a great place and wrapped it all up so quickly! After putting in a whopping total of 4 offers on places we thought you might get sick of us and run for the hill! Thanks for you patients and again all your help…you truly are a great friend and Realtor!!

A real estate transaction is likely one of the most financially important transactions you will be involved in. Real estate deals need to be done very carefully and the documentation needs to be carefully prepared and reviewed. A lawyer has significantly more training and experience in the law than a notary does. In most cases, a lawyer has at least 7 years of post-secondary education including three years of law school plus nine months of apprenticing and an intense legal training course.

If a complication arises, a notary will often have to send you to a lawyer for legal advice. As many of these issues come up at the last minute, the time pressure can be immense. In fact your whole deal could fall apart at the last moment do to some unforeseen complication. If you are already dealing with a lawyer, they will be equipped to assist you in a timely manner in the event something unexpected occurs. If you are working with a notary and require a referral to a lawyer, you may not have enough time to seek the advice of a lawyer and try to resolve the issue.

For the relatively small additional expense associated with hiring a lawyer rather than a notary, wouldn't you rather have the additional experience behind you?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Thank you for your patience in helping us finally purchasing our home in Rutland. You made negotiations painless for us; considering we live out of town. We appreciate the information you found for us regarding the sump pump, central air conditioning etc. Mostly we appreciated your honesty not to mention the many houses we dragged you through until we made up our minds and we love our house. Its the perfect size, perfect area, culdesac for the kids and close to everything. I must also add its not often a Realtor answers his phone at anytime or any day. Thank you so much for doing that.

Thanks for being so super patient with us while we hunted for the perfect place. I know our criteria was a bit more specific then you may normally get but we found it!!! Thanks for making the process easy and stress free. Thanks also for putting us in touch with a great mortgage broker. Karen Shale was a real treat to work with. Same goes for Vanessa DeDominicis from Pushor Mitchell…she was a very fun lawyer to work with. Who knew they existed! Haha;-)

So thanks a bunch for everything and you can expect an invite to the housewarming party!!!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sorry it has taken me so long to write you to thank you for all you have done. I am sure you know I have had my hands full with the renovations!! I just wanted to thank you again for getting me such an amazing deal on my house. I really do believe that I would have paid at least $30,000 dollars more for this place if you had not been the shrewd negotiator! Thanks too for finding this place for me. All in all this was the smoothest real estate transaction I have ever encountered and I truly feel that was because of your hard work. Thank you so much and I will be sending all my family your way in the future!

If you are employed or self-employed, you can deduct eligible moving expenses from employment or self-employment income you earn at the new location, including amounts received under the Wage Earner Protection Program in respect of employment at the new work location....

Here is a photo of some baby robins I saw while tubing in rock creek....cheep cheep

Sincerely, Trever Florko, REALTORCentury 21 Assurance Realty (Kelowna)Cell: (250) 859-5990Office: (250) 869-0101Fax: (250) 869-0105Visit my website: www.florko.caPS. Your referrals to friends and family are always greatly appreciated and rewarded. The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email.This email is not intended to solicit for purposes of inducing any party to break an existing listing contract with any agent or company. This emails sole purpose is to express the values of listing on the MLS system to any seller who is not currently listed. Please disregard this email if you are already listed with a Realtor or real estate company. Thank you.

Monday, May 3, 2010

I have been out of town forever, but I wanted to send you this message because I will miss you again today when Katie gets the keys.

Thank you so much for everything, I appreciate your patience with us rookie home buyers. As well your guidance through the whole process. I found out later that you had to deal with some unexpected issues...Thanks for that. Your recommendations of lawyer and insurance broker were awesome, both nice gals.

I hope I can have you over for a beer real soon to thank you in person.

I will definitely recommend your service to anyone I know, in the market.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Do you want to live in the heart of Downtown Kelowna but not in one of those crappy million year old fixer uppers that are way over priced because they are heritage homes that need a billion dollars worth of updates!!!??? Well no exaggeration....here it is. This home features the gr...

eat room concept like you find in the Upper Mission homes but you don't have to deal with the Lakeshore Rd. traffic jams!!

This BRAND NEW home is the cream of the crop! Centrally located on a quite street in the heart of Kelowna and walking distance to the beach! This home boasts an open plan with a huge top of the linegourmet kitchen. There are 3 large bedrooms upstairs 2 with full walk in closets. The basement is all roughed in for a self contained suite with separate entrance, laundry and all! The builder can finish the basement to fit your needs if desired. Now back to the kitchen...Huge windows let in tons of natural light. There is loads of room for entertaining your guests around a massive granite eating bar with built in sink. Top of the line stainless steel appliances are included in this deal. Glass top stove and French door fridge with ice and water dispensers to boot! Granite counter tops, brushed nickel fixtures and Espresso coloured, Maple cabinetry are all yours in this dream kitchen. Nearly the entire main level is engineered hardwood flooring and tile. The home also features m any upgrades: Continuous Hot water system, Air Source Heat Pump, High efficiency furnace, Central Air, Central-Vac, oversized and over height attached garagewith stamped concrete drive/walkway! The exterior of the home features Hardi-Plank siding, Low 'E' windows, fully landscaped VERY LOW MAINTENANCE YARD, underground sprinklers and it is all fully fenced.

Simply put you are getting a beautiful new home in the heart of Kelowna...walking distance to the beach, shopping and parks....everything you need and move in ready....Impress your friends! BUY THIS HOUSE!!!!!

Sincerely,

Trever

PS. Your referrals to friends and family are always greatly appreciated and rewarded.

A skilled Realtor is an invaluable tool to help facilitate both the finding of the perfect home and the writing of a firm and binding contract. I pride myself on my services and communication skills and will work hard to make your home buying e xperience an enjoyable one. Negotiating a fair price for my clients is one of my strong suits and rest assured that if you employ me as your Realtor you will get the service you desire and deserve.

The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email. Thank you.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Thank you Trever for your hard work and patience!!! Being a first time home buyer I had a lot of questions and anxiety about my purchase but you jumped through hoops to get me the answers I wanted and needed to keep my mind at ease. You were always available, quick in your research and a pleasure to deal with personally. I felt no pressure and your comical side was much appreciated. Not only that, you got me a great stinkin deal! I’ll be recommending you to all my friends and clients alike.

P.S. I should also mention that you didn’t wash your hands of me once the deal was complete. As I’m sure you recall, we ran into some issues with keys after the possession date and you made sure to deal with those on my behalf.

Agnes (March 2010)

Sincerely,

Trever

PS. Your referrals to friends and family are always greatly appreciated and rewarded.

A skilled Realtor is an invaluable tool to help facilitate both the finding of the perfect home and the writing of a firm and binding contract. I pride myself on my services and communication skills and will work hard to make your home buying e xperience an enjoyable one. Negotiating a fair price for my clients is one of my strong suits and rest assured that if you employ me as your Realtor you will get the service you desire and deserve.

The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email. Thank you.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Do you have a business that you would like me to promote on my website? If not please disregard this email...sorry to bug you.

You may or may not know that I have the #1 most visited Century 21 website in Kelowna and the #6th most visited Century 21 website in all of Canada! If you would like to capitalize on the free marketing read on!

I am putting together a ‘preferred services page’ and would love to help you advertise if I can.

I pride myself on being a no pressure sales person. I know from first hand experience how frustrating and annoying it can be to have a sales person who harasses you at every turn. That is why I make it my mandate to be as hands on (or hands off) as you need me to be. Your comfort level is very important to me the more at ease you feel with the buying or selling process the smoother things will go for everyone.

(If you would like to add a picture please send one along…please try to keep it small)

A skilled Realtor is an invaluable tool to help facilitate both the finding of the perfect home and the writing of a firm and binding contract. I pride myself on my services and communication skills and will work hard to make your home buying e xperience an enjoyable one. Negotiating a fair price for my clients is one of my strong suits and rest assured that if you employ me as your Realtor you will get the service you desire and deserve.

The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email. Thank you.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Well as some of you may have noticed there are more and more foreclosures being seen in today’s market. A lot of you may see a foreclosure as a way to capitalize on a good deal…turning someone else’s misfortune into your good fortune. Unfortunately in most cases it is not the really that simple.

The foreclosure process as seen from the side of the buyer goes a bit like this:

Find a home that is in foreclosure.

Put in your offer.

Wait for the lender to accept offer.

Wait for court approval.

Go to court for the day of the hearing.

Take it “as is” if court accepts offer.

Still sounds easy? Let me elaborate a little. It is pretty easy to find a home that is being foreclosed on…just ask your agent to keep his/her eyes open. The hassle starts after you find one you like.

After hunting around and finding a home, you decide to put in your offer. Some things you need to know are that when you buy a foreclosure you buy the home ‘as is’ and not as is of the day you saw it but as is of the day you take possession…I don’t have to tell you a lot can change between those two dates. Especially when you may be waiting a month for court approval…I will get into that part in a moment.

The offer process goes as follows: Your offer goes from your agent to the listing agent, who sends it to the lawyer or financial institution which has ‘condition of sale’ (control of the property). The lawyer or financial institution then (if they deem the offer acceptable) authorizes the sale to go ahead. The whole matter then gets sent to the courts for a court date to be set. (That date could be as far away as a month).Your offer must also be free of conditions before the court date is set in order to be considered by the judge. In other words you need to get your inspections, financing, title searches, etc. out of the way before the trial date is established so you are subject free and ready to take control of the home IF you are the lucky buyer who the judge selects to be the new owner.

Once the court date is set, that date and YOUR OFFER become public knowledge. This means that anyone who has been watching the property knows the date has been established. Did you think you were the only person interested in this property? Remember that the longer this home sat on the market the great the number of people who saw it. Chances are the price got a little lower and still more people took notice. Nobody wants to be the first person to jump on the property (if they know the process involved) as they want to see the price reduced even further.

Come the day of trial anyone who was watching the property may put in their own offer. The process goes like this: Everyone delivers their offer to the judge in a sealed envelope. The judge can call a recess to review the offers or do it in the court room. The judge can then do as they like…pick the highest or best offer…Can accept more offers…Can decline to see more offers…Can call the whole thing off…pretty much whatever they wish. The judge does however owe a duty to the seller to get as much for the home as possible…so don’t think it will just sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars less then its worth…we are talking market value or near to it. This is kind of like a silent auction but with someone changing the rules a bit.

So now the court hearing is over and let’s say you are the lucky winner of your new home….YAY! Well let’s go visit your new property….Hey wait a minute! There were appliances here when you saw it! And the Garage door is broken! Where are all crown mouldings that were stacked in the garage waiting to be installed? Well, like I said earlier you get the home ‘as is’ on the day you take possession NOT the day you last saw the home. If the furnace has been removed or all the cupboards torn out you out of luck…sorry.

So after weeks of waiting you finally get your home and you paid more for it then you wanted to and you did not get the product you thought your were going to get…not the best way to buy a house…there are deals out there but they don’t happen often. Just today I was in court waiting at a foreclosure hearing and the room was packed. The people who put in the first offer were there and seven other offers popped up on them. The home was listed for $899,000 and ended up selling for $1,130,000 ‘as is.’ The people who put in the first offer did not get the home…well back to the drawing board.

Sincerely,

Trever

PS. Your referrals to friends and family are always greatly appreciated and rewarded.

A skilled Realtor is an invaluable tool to help facilitate both the finding of the perfect home and the writing of a firm and binding contract. I pride myself on my services and communication skills and will work hard to make your home buying e xperience an enjoyable one. Negotiating a fair price for my clients is one of my strong suits and rest assured that if you employ me as your Realtor you will get the service you desire and deserve.

The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email. Thank you.

Monday, January 4, 2010

I try very hard not to be a pest and send out a bunch of useless info in emails but this is pretty important. If you or anyone you know is thinking Real Estate (buying or selling) you may want to have a look at this:

(To sum it up do what you need to do ((buy or sell)) before July if possible...HST will kick in in July and this will mean buyers will be hard to find as it could cost them more to purchase a home. Also by mid year we'll either see much higher interest rates (5.5% +) OR shorter amortizations and 10% down payment requirements. All of these things will make buying a lot more expensive and selling a lot more difficult...if you are thinking of waiting DON'T!)

Feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions or if you want to discuss buying or selling before these changes come into effect.

Please read the article below:

Days of low-interest borrowing may soon end in Canada

By Mark Bourrie

OTTAWA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Canada's economic leaders are worried that low interest rates are luring consumers into amassing huge amounts of debt that they may not be able to pay back when interest rates rise from their historic low levels.

Canada's central bank lending rate is 0.25 percent. Mortgage rates are about 4.5 percent, while five-year consumer loan rates for items such as automobiles are about 8 percent.

Recently, Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and the governor of the country's central bank, Mark Carney, have sent warning signals that the days of low-interest borrowing may soon end.

Their statements show that the Canadian government is afraid that Canadians will default on the loans that are used to buy homes. About 70 percent of Canadian families own their houses, and real estate makes up the bulk of the assets of typical Canadian families.

Besides, Canadians, especially those who have not saved for their retirement or do not have a workplace pension, see home ownership as a way of locking away money until their retirement, using the money from their house sales to top up their small government pensions.

Still, most Canadians must borrow the bulk of the money they use for home purchases. Most are content to assume this large debt if the cost of the monthly payments is comparable to rent charges, and if house prices continue to rise.

In the past decade, the government has allowed the term of mortgages to be extended from a maximum of 25 years to 35 years, and has permitted its home loan insurance agency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to sell insurance on loans with a down payment of only a 5-percent.

The system has worked to stimulate house construction, but analysts worry that it has created a speculative bubble that may burst, allowing house prices to settle back to a level that will leave many families owing more than their homes are worth. If that happens, the national government, already running a massive annual deficit, would be stuck with the loans of Canadians who defaulted.

Last year, Canadian resale house prices rose by more than six times the rate of inflation. Interest rates have also been kept low to stimulate borrowing for capital investment.

However, the rates will probably have to rise if Canada's national government, its provinces and cities hope to sell bonds in a market already flooded with U.S. government debt.

In an interview broadcast this week on the country's largest private television network, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty warned Canadian families that the days of easy home ownership debt may becoming to an end.

"If we see further evidence that there is excessive demand in the housing market or that there's an indication that people are taking on obligations that they will not be able to handle in the future when interest rates rise, then we will take some action," Flaherty said on CTV television.

"The likely action we will take is to increase the size of the down payment from 5 percent to a higher number, reduce the amortization -- bring it down from 35 years to something less," he said.

Canadian families traditionally saw home ownership as a sign of financial security. Prices have rarely fallen in the past century. When they have, the values quickly recovered. Last year, house prices rose an average of about 20 percent, while the official inflation rate is less than 3 percent.

The average Canadians have increased their personal debt by more than 1,000 Canadian dollars (about 955 U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2009, driving up the nation's personal debt by 44 billion Canadian dollars (42 U.S. dollars).

However, Canadians gamble on interest rates. In the early 1960s,a time of low inflation, interest rates were comparable to today's. In the fall of 1981, with inflation near 15 percent, mortgage rates reached 20 percent.

On a 300,000 Canadian dollars (287,000 U.S. dollars) debt, which is not unusual in a major urban market, a 20 percent interest payment would amount to more than a typical Canadian family earns, after taxes, in a year. Even a 12 percent rate, which was typical of the 1980s, would generate a monthly payment of more than 3,000 Canadian dollars (2,865 U.S. dollars).

On top of those charges, Canadians must pay property taxes and most mortgage companies require the house to be insured for its full value.

Flaherty said recent price increases for homes in Canada are due to a "confluence" of factors including low interest rates, an improving economic outlook and a stabilizing job market.

On Dec. 10, Mark Carney, the governor of Canada's central bank, warned that Canadian families were becoming more vulnerable to interest rate fluctuations because they have added debt this year while other countries such as the United States and Britain have seen reductions in personal debt-to-income ratios. The bank echoed the warnings of several non-government economists who warn that the Canadian rush to indebtedness is unsustainable.

In the Bank of Canada's semi-annual report, Carney wrote: "Households need to assess their ability to service these debt obligations over their entire maturity, taking into account likely changes in both income and interest rates.

"Financial institutions need to carefully consider the aggregate risk to their entire portfolio of household exposures when evaluating even an insured mortgage, since a household defaulting on an insured mortgage would likely be unable to meet its other debt obligations."

Carney warned that the risk to Canadian banks is relatively low, but up to 10 percent of households would face serious problems meeting their house payments if interest rates rise.

However, Benjamin Tal, an economist with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a major mortgage lender, said Canadians find ways of hanging onto their houses when interest rates fluctuate, and tend to default only when they have lost their jobs.

Still, Tal said, "It is time for both borrowers and lenders to exercise prudence in continuing to build up household debt loads to the point where they are overly reliant on today's low rates."

Sincerely,

Trever

PS. Your referrals to friends and family are always greatly appreciated and rewarded.

A skilled Realtor is an invaluable tool to help facilitate both the finding of the perfect home and the writing of a firm and binding contract. I pride myself on my services and communication skills and will work hard to make your home buying e xperience an enjoyable one. Negotiating a fair price for my clients is one of my strong suits and rest assured that if you employ me as your Realtor you will get the service you desire and deserve.

The information contained herein is confidential information and is intended for the use of the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any distribution or use of this information is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and immediately delete this email from your inbox. If you do not wish to receive emails from this address in the future, please reply to this email. Thank you.